His Blood in the Snow
by Kat-Anni
Summary: During one of their first patrols in the guard, Legolas gets wounded by Orcs. Why are there dark creatures in the normally peaceful Greenwood? Will their heir make it? Lots of Drama and worry about the prince, from Tauriel as well as Thranduil. Hurt!Legolas, obviously. Also, hints on Legriel.
1. Part I

_5th of June, 2015_

 _Hello! Sooo, I'm still alive. And here you have another LotR/Hobbit Story. I know, I'm wayyyy behind with my spn updates but I'm just not in the mood right now, with Season 10 just being not what I thought it would be and the show generally being long past its expiration date._

 _But whatever. To this story. I have a story planned where Legolas gets hurt at Ravenhill, actually. I'm still writing it though and while I did, this little sidestory came to my mind. It blossomed out of a little flashback Tauriel had in one of my scenes. So yeah. Legolas is wounded during one of their first patrol runs in the forest, back when Greenwood wasn't called Mirkwood yet, when the trees used to be strong and the darkness wasn't as pressing. This covers the beginning of that darkness creeping in (should be obvious). I have this story almost finished but I'm going to wait for some feedback before continuing updating. After that it should be fairly fast though._

 _Be warned. This could contain a bit Legriel (LegolasxTauriel). If you're not that into that you could try to read past it though, it's just a few hints (since their story isn't that far along yet). It's still sweet and angsty though (I hope). Also, worried!Thranduil later. yay._

 _Sooo...hope you like it! Enjoy :)_

* * *

 **His blood in the snow**

 **Part I**

Tauriel was perplexed when she saw that the white miniature cotton balls of snow had actually managed to reach the soil of the forest. Her delicate leather boots made soft crunching noises every time they touched the ground surface. The small band of elven guards didn't leave any traces and the noises were so soft that ears that were not of elvish birth would never have heard them. Their dark green and brown uniforms stood out more than they usually did and their soft, relaxed breath blew steam into the air.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" a soft voice behind her startled her from her thoughts.

"Yes, it is indeed." She turned around, her red hair stood out against the snow white forest. In contrast to her, her friend's pale exterior and hair almost completely blended with the scenery around them. He smiled at her.

"The tree crowns are unusually thin this year for the snow to make it through in such amounts." The blond noted. His crystal blue eyes flew around the forest, seemingly taking in every single inch. Then he turned his steady gaze back to Tauriel. It was small moments like this, the posture in his shoulders, the way he seemed to glow even more than the snow in the winter sun, that threw back at her how obvious it was that he was royalty.

"We should head back and report to the king." Tauriel stated. They had toured their usual route through the greenwood forest, making sure everything was in place. It was a daily routine that normally counted as the most boring job an elf could get around here. It was mostly reserved for young recruits like they were, newly in the guard and working hard to get up the ranks. This time though, they had the prince with them. He was a formidable warrior who would have easily ranked high up from the start if it wasn't for his own insistence upon starting like everybody else.

And of course there was Tauriel. She had trained with the prince for many years and even though she had also just entered the guard, every superior could see her moving up really fast really soon. There was swiftness in her movements, fire in her spirit and she was favored by their king.

"I do not like the way the trees are developing. They seem…ill." A sigh came from the prince as he just nodded to his friend's comment. He stepped further into the clearing on his own, put the bow on his back and knelt down when he spotted something on the ground. Tauriel noted how the other two behind her, Glamrenor and Naeron, switched their feet nervously from one foot to the other. A party of four was unnecessary large for a (normally completely unnecessary) control patrol and they wanted to get back to the palace as soon as possible. After all they had journeyed all the way to the other side of the forest for several hours now, making the big round through the kingdom and even with their speed and agility, it was tiring them down. The sun would set soon, making the light around them appear brightly red instead of white.

Suddenly, a cracking sound disturbed the layer of absolute silence around them. Under the cover of early winter snow, the forest was always quieter than usual, with the animals retreating and the cotton-like snow dimming all other noises. But right now, all their ears at once noticed movement to their right.

Immediately, all three of the other elves were by the prince's side, assuming their trained positions of defense between the royal and the danger. Tauriel saw how the other guards wanted to shield the prince but immediately, they earned an icy glare from both the heir and Tauriel herself. So they all stood back to back in a loose formation, bows out and several arrows in their shooting hand so they could fire one quickly after the other.

"Show yourselves." The voice of the prince boomed over the quiet surrounding them.

And from one second to the other, they were surrounded. Screams were filling the air, arrows flew through the quiet and later, Tauriel would wonder how creatures as black and dark as these could have snuck up on them at all.

Orcs. There were orcs in their forest.

And it was more than Tauriel could count in the split second she had time to. They were pouring into the clearing but the elves shot them rather fast so there were bodies of orcs pouring upon the snowy forest floor just as soon as they arrived. The clearing was their battlefield as the orcs closed in despite their efforts. Their numbers were simply too many and there were just four of them.

When this was all over, Tauriel would thank the stars that she didn't go alone with her best friend. That would have meant death for both of them. As it was, they were doing rather well. Whatever Orcs were attacking them were killed before they reached them.

But with their numbers rising and the darkness creeping in due to nightfall, the elves were driven back further and further. Not that it could get any closer than back to back, really. They subconsciously crowded around their prince and that may have been their biggest mistake. Tauriel's tension rose, she took short breaths and her ears picked up the orcs' screams and how one of them at the back ordered quietly:

"Aim for the blond one!" and out of the darkness of the night, as if they had been waiting for them to tire out, arrows came flying towards _them_ this time. There weren't many orcs left but they hid behind the trees and aimed strangely carefully. They were all still busy fending off the blunt attackers and Tauriel barely had time to register what was happening. She heard the order, saw the archers and her body wanted to fly around and shield her friend, just to realize that in fact, Legolas was not beside her any longer but at her back, basically protecting her instead. Their formation was broken when a few orcs had reached them and Legolas as well as Naeron had to switch to close combat. No, but she had to…

Legolas, completely unaware of the Orc's new plan, had been entirely concentrated on fending the enemies off with his own arrows and then sword. Even though they were in full armor, the Sindar hit their weak spots every single time, his technique with the bow as excellent as rumored throughout the kingdom. Naeron, one of their comrades, was hit with the first orc arrow. He stumbled and fell, dead immediately. A hit to the heart. Legolas saw it and his shock was followed by anger. The next dead orc was the one who shot first.

But the next arrow hit the prince's unprotected abdomen anyway. And the force behind it made the air leave his lungs, let him stumble in shock and that was when the second arrow pierced his shoulder, closer to the heart this time.

"LEGOLAS!" her high pitched scream cut the air just as piercingly as the arrow did the prince's skin.

* * *

 _So that was the first chapter! Sorry, little cliffhanger here haha._

 _Love it? Hate it? Please tell me :)_

 _All reviews are appreciated! EVEN just a word would really help me out :3 Thank you in advance *hugs*_


	2. Part II

_11th of June, 2015_

 _Why welcome back! Thank you very much for the reviews you left :3_

 _Sorry, I wanted to upload this sooner but as always, life got in the way of that. I hope you're still interested ^^. This will continue right where we left and later have some worried!Thranduil so look forward to that :). Also a bit Legriel angst so if you're not out for that better stop reading now. If you are, look forward to it ;P_

 _I know Tauriel knows a bit healing but we're not told how much she does (she didn't really heal Kili, just suck out the poison). From what I read, warriors usually only know the basics since the healing arts are reserved for the pure soul that hasn't seen as much war and bloodshed at their own hands (which seems logical to me so this is what I'm going to assume as logic). The best healer as far as I read is Elrond (but he's not here so there's that) and I bet that's also because of his ring of power, not just his own abilities. So yeah. You'll see how that works out for Legolas._

 _Please enjoy! :3_

* * *

 **Part II**

Within a second, Tauriel took command. Legolas was still standing but she knew it was only the adrenaline that kept him this way. She shoved their remaining companion aside and aimed straight for the archers, shooting all of them with such speed she hadn't thought it possible. But she was on a rampage now, the sole sight of Legolas' blood had made her mad enough to get her murdering orcs for hours, if not days. Nobody would stop her now. After just a few more minutes, if even that, the last orcs were gone. Nothing was left but silence again, but this time it wasn't a pleasant one…it was full of panic. With Orc blood plastered to her clothes, skin and hair, Tauriel probably gave a terrifying sight. But she didn't care, of course, as her thoughts were somewhere else entirely.

She hadn't noticed Legolas sliding to the floor but she knew she was there as soon as he did. Crimson red liquid oozed from his torso in the two places the arrows had hit. Before she could do anything, the other elf had pulled out the first arrow. She was there just in time to stop him from doing it to the other one.

The prince cried out in pain at the additional source of discomfort and Tauriel ignored the other guard completely now, her eyes only on her friend.

"Legolas. _Ai Valar_ I'm so sorry." She whispered. Her hand pressed the wound of which the soldier had pulled the arrow from, clearly making the bleeding worse by doing so. She wanted to scream at him about how he should know better after his medical training but shut up for now. She broke the second arrow apart so it didn't stick out as long but she left it in for the healers to extract.

Exactly, the healers. That's what they should be getting to right now. Of course she knew first aid –at least she told herself that - but a little Athelas would not _heal_ a wound like this. Plus, the weed had not grown in their forest for a long time. They had to get to the palace.

The prince tried to sit up and say something but soon after attempting to lift himself he was taken aback by the pain it caused him. He made no sound but his expression was telling enough. A soft curse escaped his lips instead that Tauriel was sure his mother would have scolded him for.

"Hold still." She ordered though he had probably noticed by now that he should.

"I'll be fine." He protested, fists balled and he looked at the remaining member of their squad, then to the other one on the ground. No movement.

"Naeron, is he…"

"Dead." His colleague confirmed, fists also balled and shaking, clearly in pain also but his wounds were more emotional than corporal. He had a few scratches but Tauriel recalled the two of them to be quite close. Legolas shut his eyes in additional pain, this time it had nothing to do with his wounds. While the two talked, Tauriel had torn a part of her tunic off and made a makeshift pressure bandage around Legolas' still bleeding shoulder. She finally lifted his arm over her own shoulders and proceeded to get him to his feet without a further comment. A few grunts from him confirmed that he was still in enough pain to justify her hurry.

"I- I can walk on my own." Came another protest from the king's son. Tauriel had to resist a roll of her eyes. Stubbornness had to be a family trade. She shot their other colleague, Glamrenor, a nod and he took their fallen comrade's body on his shoulders, understanding her wordless request.

"Sure you can." She assured but didn't move an inch from his side. A last look at the scene made her wince at the two pools of elven blood forming on the white forest floor. One for Naeron, one for Legolas. The red color seemed to stand out abnormally against the bright white.

"Let me-"

"We have to walk all the way back through the forest, you're not walking anywhere on your own with two arrow wounds, Legolas. Be glad I'm not carrying you completely." That shut him up. He sighed and even though he was clearly annoyed, let her help him walk. The redhead had to suppress a smile at his little stubborn protest and set yaw. It amused her even in this situation how he could be so remarkably princely. Her happy feeling about this vanished though when she noticed that his wounds were still oozing quite a bit of blood and that the wound on his shoulder, which he held pressure to with his free hand, was also still bleeding viciously. They had to hurry.

As they were walking, Legolas seemed to get more and more worn out. Their forest was large and their paths complicated, the floor uneven to walk on. A few times he stumbled and Tauriel had to catch him and those times became more frequent as they progressed. One look back told Tauriel that they were leaving quite the obvious trail of blood to follow behind them and in the stark contrast to the white cover of snow it gave her heart another strong pang of worry in addition to the rest of them. Glamrenor was shooting their prince further worried glances and Tauriel caught one of them. It clearly voiced her exact thoughts, too:

 _The king is going to kill us. Personally._

It was no secret, the way Thranduil, their king, cared for his son. It was subtle and contained but everybody knew that if any harm came to their heir, someone would dearly pay for that. Never before had Tauriel actually seen Legolas hurt though. Not like this, not even during training. Sure, a few scratches here and there, maybe even a broken bone, but never anything mayor, never anything piercing his skin like this. A panic in her was rising further up during their way back and it told her just how idolized Legolas had been in her mind, still was. The undefeatable prince, the _unbeatable_ prince. She had tried many times to best him but even though she was getting very close now, he was still older and more experienced than her. They often joked that the day would come, though, the day that she could finally beat him as well as he could.

Another stumble from Legolas brutally tore her from her thoughts. She almost fell with him, not prepared for it, and the prince let out a painful grunt, almost a gasp. The warrior gasped herself and quickly hoisted him up again, noticing how very pale and sweaty he was.

"Oh no no no." She whispered, worriedly stroking the liquid form her friend's forehead, feeling his temperature.

It was higher than she had feared.

"We need to rest." She decided and in the next second, she had Legolas posed against a tree, sitting so she could better access his wounds. There wasn't even a protest from him now and that was what truly worried her.

"Legolas? Can you hear me? _Legolas!_ " she patted his cheek, the third time more violent and he seemed to snap out of it. Blinking hard, he drew in a shaky breath and looked at her.

"I'm here. Sorry, I…must've…." He paused, confused. "When did we stop walking?"

Oh by the _Valar_. This was not good, not good at all. Tauriel's heart raced in her chest, almost at the same pace as she could feel his pulse racing under her fingertips.

"We made it three quarters of the way but you're really not well. I'm going to have to try and heal you here, redo the bandages." She explained carefully. Behind her, she heard how Glamrenor also sat his comrade down, his bow was out and he took a few steps back on their way, listening into the quiet forest for further enemies that might have followed them.

"Don't waste your strength, Tauriel, the healers will patch me up fine." He caught her hand that was getting his pulse, smiling at her warmly. If she did not know him as well as she did maybe she might have bought it. But as it so happens, Tauriel knew her prince quite well and so she just glared. Her hand slipped from his, even though she might have welcomed the contact more than she would like to admit, and slowly drew his other hand away from his shoulder wound, which was bleeding more than she had realized. His whole tunic showed the blood flowing down his chest and she had to take a moment to collect herself when she saw how bloody and cramped around the wound his hand was.

"I'm so sorry. This should never have happened. I should have blocked that arrow." The words flew out of her mouth before she could warn her brain not to vocalize them.

"What, and ended up like Naeron? No way. I would rather die right this instant."

"Don't you dare say that." She pressed on the bleeding a bit too stubbornly and he grunted.

"Sorry." She sighed. "I still mean it though." Another glare silenced any argument from Legolas. Tauriel tried to concentrate. Healing words were supposed to come from her lips. She was a female woodland elf, she had been trained in the healing arts since she was a little elfling. But the words didn't come to her mind, not like they should. She stuttered a few out, felt the healing flow through her fingertips, but then it stopped. Never had she thought that her recklessness as an elfling, her ignorance for all things that were 'traditionally' female, like healing and crafting, would catch up to her in such a cruel moment. She grimaced, tried again, finally gave up and just redid his bandage with a clean one from her emergency kit she had on her belt. Carefully, she wrapped the white linen around her friend's shoulders. Her jaw was set, her lips pressed together. Of course, as always, Legolas knew what was up.

"It's okay. That's why we have healers. You can't always be warrior and healer at the same time. I don't know a single word myself." He smiled and she knew he was lying. He knew the basics, just like anybody on the guard did. As always, the idiot was just trying to cheer her up. Another glare was shot his way but she just sighed.

"Alright. Let's get to them then." She called for Glamrenor and they quickly picked up their pace again. Legolas seemed a little better now, at least he was half lucid. His steps were still heavy and she was carrying most of his weight but she didn't really mind that much. What she did was swear to herself that as soon as they got back, she would take extra healing lessons. Even if she had to sacrifice sleep for it. She tried to ignore the smear of blood on the tree Legolas rested on and turned her mind to more important, immediate matters.

"Are we being followed?" she asked Glamrenor but he shook his head no while he took his dead friend onto his back again.

"I don't think so, no." but he didn't seem convinced and neither did Tauriel. A huge orc attack like that didn't just happen randomly. In fact, in their forest, it wasn't supposed to happen at all.

As soon as Tauriel caught sight of the palace walls, the guards also caught sight of them. A horn sounded in the distance and upon hearing it, Legolas seemed to drop several dozes of determination. He saw the gates in front of them and suddenly, his ability to stand seemed to say its goodbyes. His knees gave in and as the gates opened, Tauriel was joined by two other guards in the process of catching their heir, now unconcious.

Briefly, Tauriel told them what happened but they immediately went on their way for the healing halls while Glamrenor had the body of their comrade taken from him and was sent to report to the king about Legolas' condition immediately. Tauriel would have gone but she did not dare leave her friend's side, so she hurriedly followed behind the two guards carrying him.

In the throne room, Glamrenor arrived in a hurry. He had visible wounds on his body, his clothes worn down but he was determined to end his duty, though he was certainly not thrilled to bring these news to the king himself. Maybe he should have insisted on sending Tauriel instead. She was in the king's favor anyway. But the way she acted right now was clearly not fit to leave her friend alone with the healers so he had shut his mouth and sucked it up.

The king, as always, looked like a perfect marble statue. He was reading some documents, one of his advisors by his side, when Glamrenor stumbled into the throne room. Bored, the king quickly glanced over, stopped, and put down his paper.

"What happened?" he asked, document forgotten. Glamrenor didn't know if the king was aware that he had been on patrol with the prince. So he just decided to be brief but informative, as they explicitly tell them to be in their training.

"We were on patrol when orcs ambushed us. We had one casualty, Naeron, and the prince was-" he swallowed. A bad moment to have a dry, _very_ dry throat. Immediately, the king was on his feet. His relaxed but regal posture on the throne was forgotten and there was the panic and concern buried under layers of wrath and cold hatred in his gaze.

"What? What _about_ Legolas?" his voice cut through the still air like the wind in the icy landscape outside and Glamrenor had to suppress a shiver.

"H-he was struck by two arrows, my lord. Tauriel is with him in the healing ward righ-" but the king was already flying past him, the long robes dragging on the floor but not daring to slow him down on the way to his goal. Stealing a worried glance with the king's advisor, nodding, and following behind his king, Glamrenor wondered briefly what would have happened if the orcs didn't miss their target. A shiver went down his spine and he shuddered. Just the thought of it would give him nightmares for several nights to come…

* * *

 ** _Sindarin Translations_**

 _Ai Valar! - Oh God! (figuratively)_

 _._

 _So yeah, that's that. Another chapter will be had but that's going to be the last one. For now, Legolas is in the best care he can get, let's see if it is enough ;P_

 _ **Every review will help me** in the future, the ones you left already resulted in some nice corrections in this one :)_

 _So thank you and **I'll be looking forward to every single one, no matter how short!**_

 _Bye bye_

 _~Kat_


	3. Part III

_16th of June, 2015_

 _Hey there! On to the final part :)_

 _I would have separated this further but there was really no point to it so here you have the last (and therefore longest) chapter of them all. This story may be over but remember, I'm going to write another one (the one I told you about with Legolas getting hurt at Ravenhill). I still have to finish that though and I prefer to finish something before starting to publish so I don't have to risk me losing the will to finish mid through (we've all had that at one point right?) So yeah. There's that._

 _This chapter is going to have worried Thranduil and Tauriel as well as Friendship and the works for Tauriel and Legolas. I love writing a fatherly Thranduil, it just gives me a lot of feelings._

 _I hope you enjoy it! Please review, every single one helps :)_

* * *

 **.**

 **Part III**

 **.**

" _Struck by two arrows"_ , huh?

That could mean anything, really, depending on the location of said arrows. But King Thranduil's mind wasn't willing to think the worst, he had analyzed the posture of the guard that came for him and it was urgent, not in grief. So there was hope, surely. Still, his heart was racing as he ignored all formalities to move gracefully and carefully just to hurry along to the healing halls.

If something happened to Legolas on one of his first patrols…

He should have insisted that he take on more princely duties, with the council…here, in the safety of the palace. What if his recklessness cost his son's life now?

* * *

Back in the infirmary, Tauriel was feeling so very useless. For once in her life she really wished to have paid more attention in healing class. She might have been able to help Legolas right now but no, she had to go off and be like him, be strong like him and fast and elegant like him. Always like Legolas, the first elfling to really talk and listen to her after her parents died. Sure, adults did, lots of them. But none of them really seemed to listen, none really talked. The little girl could tell that they were pretending to be patient about her getting better but really they weren't.

Legolas was always so gentle and kind to her that in the first moments they met and he hadn't even introduced himself, her first instinct was to hug him tight and never let go. The older boy chuckled and to her surprise, returned the hug.

"It's alright." He just murmured and stroked her bright red hair that made her stand out with the other girls all the time. A colour she hated through some parts of her childhood.

Moments like this and many more that Legolas ever had with her floated in her head. Her eyes were misty against her will and her lip was quivering while she watched the healers work on him. It was so strange seeing him like this when she thought about all those moments of connection and friendship between them. All that blood on his chest seemed to press down upon Tauriel herself and she felt her throat tighten when she watched how they fret over him, robes flying around in hurry, bandages being cut and potions applied to his unconscious body. Again, she felt useless, standing in the corner and watching. But what could she do, right now, other than hope for him to get better? Which he would, of course. Two arrow wounds weren't fatal, not for an elf. At least usually. Of course you had to consider some factors…like the distance he had to walk to get here and the blood loss…

Tauriel was torn from her tense thoughts when suddenly, their king burst through the doors. Apparently, the healers had tried to advise him to stay outside and wait but obviously, that didn't work out in their favor.

Thranduil Oropherion strode into the room, robes and long bright hair flying behind him majestically. His icy blue eyes took in the scenery in a second, observed that his son was breathing and apparently being cared for and seemed to relax visibly. He shot their head healer, Merilthel, a commanding glance. She patiently set down her bowl of paste she had been applying and walked over, used to the temper of their king and not intimidated at all. Tauriel knew that she was very old, older than most elves in the kingdom. Impatience was not one of her weaknesses.

"He will be fine, _hir-nìn_. His state is mostly due to blood loss and a common Orc poison that we could quickly counter. Just a few nights rest, the scars will disappear after some treatment. Do not worry yourself." Her calming voice seemed to soothe over their king and he nodded, his gaze still fixed on Legolas though. Finally, he tore it away, shifting his gaze over to Tauriel. The Sylvan involuntarily flinched. She hadn't realized that he'd noticed her but she quickly caught herself, slightly bowing with her arm over her chest. Thranduil glanced at her clothes, noticing the blood still on it that wasn't hers but his sons (and the orcs') and his lips pressed together in an expression Tauriel couldn't quite place.

"What happened, Tauriel? This was supposed to be just a regular patrol run, am I not correct?" the king inquired, his crown not at all crooked even after his obvious rush over here.

"Yes, my Lord." She answered, both their voices firm but not too loud so to not disturb the healers or Legolas himself. "We were ambushed in the west near the elven stones. At first we seemed to manage but from the back there came an order to attack the prince in particular. They must have noticed us trying to shield him. I've never seen Orcs act like that. Normally they just seek carnage and run right into battle but this was different." Her frown deepened.

"We also noticed that the trees were getting thinner, their crowns weaker. We never had orc attacks so obviously inside our borders before, my lord. Something is wrong." Tauriel insisted. She had come closer to the king to underline her urgency. Thranduil appeared to listen intently though as soon as she finished, his gaze wandered back to his son on the bed.

"Yes. I had feared something like that. The darkness is spreading. Maybe the Greenwood isn't strong enough to guard us against it any longer." His expression was grave and thoughtful while he spoke. Tauriel nodded In thought, happy that he seemed to listen to her, heeding her words. That wasn't the case all the time, after all.

"I think so too, Legolas as well." She added, remembering her friend's words in the forest before the attack. Thranduil just nodded, not saying anything further. He noticed the healers finally finishing with his son and leaving so he strode over, sitting down in one of the chairs near the bed. A few minutes passed in which he stayed at his son's side, stroking through his hair. Tauriel didn't move from her spot, not sure If she should also sit or leave. The king's movements were so much softer and warmer right now she felt like intruding.

"Shouldn't you tend to your own wounds, Tauriel?" his sudden comment made her flinch violently and she nodded.

"Yes. Of course. I'll…I'll be back." She stated. Legolas was stable. There was no need for her to linger around and disturb the king. Still, she wanted to stay, part of her still blaming herself for what happened and for not being able to help immediately. But she eventually forced herself to get over it and make her way to her chambers, washing the dirt and blood off her clothes and skin, changing into something without cuts and specks of dirt on it. At first, she wanted to return to the healing halls but ultimately, after her bath and the soothing warmth of fresh clothes, the exhaustion finally overtook her. She put herself down on the bed, staring at the ceiling and quickly drifted into sleep.

Back inside the healing halls, Thranduil stayed with his son. He whispered for him to wake up and refused to leave when the healers came and advised him to get his rest. No, he couldn't leave. Legolas was supposed to wake up with him by his side. In the last weeks, maybe even years, he had lost so much of his bond to his son that it saddened him. Ever since the death of his wife Legolas had become distant, no, HE, Thranduil, had become distant and Legolas had sensed it, felt it in his actions and words. The king regretted these things in such moments especially and he sighed, driving his fingers through his own blond hair.

When a moan from the bed disturbed the silence, Thranduil's head immediately shot up.

"Legolas? _Tithen Las-Nin_ , can you hear me?" he asked, his voice quiet but persistent. He hadn't called Legolas by his childhood nickname in quite some time but at this moment, he just couldn't help it, wanted to jar a reaction in his son.

The prince's eyelids fluttered and another moan escaped before they finally opened, flashing their icy blue at the world again. He seemed confused for a second before focusing properly and turning his head to see his father.

" _Adar_? What…?" Legolas muttered and Thranduil smiled. He also hadn't been called that in quite some time.

"Yes, it is me _, ion-nin_. How are you feeling?" he asked, though he already guessed the answer.

"I'm fine." Legolas insisted. He tried to sit up and even though Thranduil saw that he was in pain from his injured shoulder, he still managed to lean his back against the bed. Stubborn as always…

"What happened?" his son asked and Thranduil raised an eyebrow.

"You were wounded on a patrol. Don't you remember?" he asked, a little worry swinging with his tone. If Legolas suffered memory loss…

"Oh yeah. Right. Where are Tauriel and Glamrenor, are they alright?" his voice seemed hoarse and dry so Thranduil handed him a cup of water that had been waiting on the nightstand. Legolas nodded his thanks and carefully took a sip from it.

"They are fine. I sent them to their quarters to rest. They seemed to need it after dragging you all the way here." Thranduil raised a thick eyebrow at his son, the slightly accusing but also worried tone not missed by the prince. He sighed and fumbled with his water cup.

"I'm sorry, _Ada_. I shouldn't have worried you so. And Naeron…" He stopped and averted his gaze, ashamed. It was one of his first patrols and he already came back injured and got one of their soldiers killed. What kind of light would that shine on him? How would he live with Naeron's blood on his hands? But Thranduil just shook his head.

"No, you are not to blame. Tauriel told me that the Orcs were awfully far into the forest and unnaturally smart. We will have to keep an eye on that in the future. For now though", he had a glint in his eyes when he said the next part "You are going to stay with the palace guards." Like a little kid who had their sweets taken from them, Legolas gasped dramatically. The king really had to suppress a smile. Sometimes, Legolas still _was_ a child.

"Whaaat?! No way! I'm going to be bored to no end!" he protested and proceeded with trying to get up fully now. Thranduil saw his wince and he pressed his son back into bed by the good shoulder, his lips now really forming an amused smile.

"And I'm taking you off duty for another week if you don't stay in bed as ordered." He further threatened. Now the younger elf just pouted, his arms crossing in front of his chest as he huffed angrily.

"No fair." This finally made the king full on laugh at his son's antiques. He was really glad that Legolas would be fine, his behavior was only proof of that. Thranduil rose from the chair and gently ruffled his son's hair.

"Rest now, _Ion-nin_. Tomorrow we can ask the healers when you can be released." Legolas nodded, suddenly a lot sleepier than seconds beforehand. He yawned and carefully lay back down again. Thranduil was about to go when he suddenly had an afterthought.

"Are you quite sure that you don't prefer to learn under Fainor as a Lieutenant?" he asked. It had been some time but before Legolas had joined the guard, Thranduil had preferred for him to start in a higher rank and learn under their current captain. He was capable enough and would learn strategy and leading far better and faster this way. Already lying down, Legolas now looked back up to his father, blue eyes sleepy but sure.

"No, Ada. I'm certain it is best this way." He assured his father and Thranduil nodded. Of course, it was typical of Legolas to be stubborn this way. Even on that day, he had insisted that he must be treated just like everybody else would. So finally, the king had given in. Just like he did now, bowing his head as a final goodnight and leaving the room for good. Outside, he smiled when the door was closed, glad that this time, he could rest knowing that for now at least, his son was safe.

Tauriel awoke with a gasp. Horrible images had flooded her dreams. She panted quietly, climbing out of bed in a hurry. A gaze outside told her that dawn had come upon them. Apparently, the _elleth_ had been so tired that she had slept through the night. Now her heart raced from the images in her dreams, images of far worse things happening to Legolas and they would not go away. Of course she knew he was fine now, the healers had said as much. Still, she slipped on her boots and wanted to make sure herself.

Her quick feet dragged her all the way to the healing halls before another minute passed. She pushed open the doors to Legolas' room as quietly as possible and in the pale first light of day, her green eyes scanned his features with a sigh of relief. He was just fine. Everything was fine.

"You're up early." Came a voice from the bed and Tauriel felt like she was having a heart attack. Sure, she always knew he was a light sleeper but that her quiet entrance had woken him never even occurred to her.

"Legolas. You're awake." She stated, surprised. A small laugh came from the prince and Tauriel stepped closer.

"Sure I am. You're not exactly a cat." His smile was mocking and Tauriel had to suppress a huff. Her lips pursed, pretending to be extremely offended. But of course his keen ears would hear her, they always did.

"Sure I am. Inside, I am one hundred percent feline." She suddenly grinned and sat down next to her prince. The royal laughed and sat up, or tried to. He winced a second but proceeded and actually managed to make it to her eye level. Tauriel shook her head at his stubbornness and tilted her head.

"So how long until you're out of here?" she questioned.

"A few days I think. I might sneak out sooner though, you know me."

"I do…maybe this time, you should take your recovery a little more seriously. Your father seemed fairly concerned." She smiled warmly at the thought of the king actually showing how much he cared. It was a rare sight and Tauriel knew Legolas secretly enjoyed it, even if he pretended to be annoyed by it. There was a short silence there and finally Tauriel looked him in the eyes again.

"I'm sorry, Legolas. I should have been able to heal you in the field." She mumbled, finally. It had driven her insane, the idea of him dying under her fingers with her not being able to do anything. In that aspect, her sense of duty was extremely prominent. At least she told herself that it was just her sense of duty. Legolas shook his head to dismiss her worry.

"It's okay, Tauriel. It's not your duty-"

"Yes it is! Of course it is. I could never live with…" she couldn't say it out loud. The prince's face softened at her words and he smiled.

"Okay, you're right. If it helps, I'll talk to some of the healers. If you want, I can even help you. How does that sound?" his hand was suddenly covering hers and his gentle touch brought a smile to her face. She had looked down in shame, not daring to meet his gaze but now her green eyes met his blue ones and her face shone while she nodded.

"Yes, I would very much like that. Thank you, _Mellon-nin_."

 _For you, always._ Legolas' thoughts were never spoken out loud. He just smiled and enjoyed her company, until she finally had to leave for duty. After the door closed behind her, he sighed deeply, closing his eyes and leaning his head against the headboard. He pressed his lips together in dismay, banging his head against the hard surface lightly.

He was stupid. Feelings like this would never actually lead to anything and he knew it. Still, he couldn't help it. With another shake of his head, he tried to sweep the thought aside for now. He slipped down under the sheets of his soft bed again, closing his eyes. If he was trapped here for a while, he might as well get some rest. With orcs attacking like that for the first time since their people settled in this forest, who knew how much rest he would get in the future.

The prince surely hoped it wouldn't be as bad as the back of his head whispered to him…

* * *

 ** _Sindarin Translations_**

 _Hir-nìn - My Lord_

 _Tithen Las-Nin - My little Leaf_

 _Adar - (formal) Father_

 _Ada - (informal) Father/Dad_

 _Ion-Nin - My Son_

 _Elleth - (female) Elf_

 _Mellon-Nin - My Friend_

* * *

 _Yeaah. That was it :)_

 _I really hope you enjoyed it! **Please leave a word or to so I know you did (or not?) :3**_

 _Have a nice day_

 _~Kat_


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